Scientists, regulators and public health
officials gathered in the US for The E-Cigarette Summit
2024
SÃO PAULO, May 17, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- Dozens of experts debated how to improve the rules
regarding electronic cigarettes, the consumption of which is a
global reality, at the eighth edition of The E-Cigarette
Summit, this Tuesday (14) in Washington
DC, USA. Scientists, regulators, consumers and public health
representatives presented studies and strategies to adopt these
products as harm reduction tools in nicotine consumption for adult
smokers.
In the USA, marketing approval
is the responsibility of the FDA, an agency similar to Anvisa in
Brazil, which certifies that
products are "appropriate for the protection of public health".
According to Brian King, director of
the FDA, companies undergo strict authorization so that adult
smokers can access lower-risk products. At the same time, the
agency carries out campaigns to prevent consumption by young people
and improve authorized products.
For Clive Bates, a public health
consultant, maintaining illegality will not make it disappear. "We
need strong regulations and the industry concerned about making
safer products. Many people die because others don't see vapes as a
harm reduction tool", he says.
Anvisa maintained ban
Contrary to the rest of the world, Anvisa maintains a ban in
Brazil. However, the Senate will
hold a public hearing on 5/21 to discuss Bill 5008/2023, by Senator
Soraya Thronicke. The Bill contains
requirements such as toxicological reports, nicotine limits,
flavors and points of sale, and also proposes prison sentences and
fines for sales to minors. Rules that would protect consumers from
the illegal market. Since 2018, the number of consumption has grown
by 600%, with 3 million regular consumers (Ipec, 2023).
The United Kingdom
Among the more than 80 countries that regulate vapes, the
United Kingdom stands out in the
fight against conventional cigarettes, including an incentive to
exchange devices: the Swap to Stop program that distributes
1 million vape kits. Martin
Dockrell, leader of the initiative at the Ministry of
Health, highlights that the program maximizes the exchange of
cigarettes for vapes and prevents young people and non-smoking
adults from consuming the product. Deborah
Arnott, executive director of the ASH NGO, stated that
improving regulation is crucial to reducing consumption by young
people and presented recommendations, such as banning a number of
flavors, restrictions on packaging and points of sale.
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SOURCE The E-Cigarette Summit